Anesthesia screen

ABSTRACT

An anesthesia screen is formed of an adjustable frame on which a sheet is suspended to separate a patient on an operating table from an anesthesiologist with his equipment. The frame is a crossbar with spaced, downward extending legs in the shape of an inverted U, the lower portion of each leg being adjustably secured to one side of the operating table. From an upper portion of each leg a telescoping arm is laterally extendible, each arm being adapted to support a sheet.

United States Patent lnventor Harvey J. Engelsher Yonkers, N.Y. Appl. No 864,354 Filed Oct. 7, 1969 Patented Nov. 30, 1971 Assignee Horizon Industries, Ltd. Bronx, N.Y.

ANESTHESIA SCREEN 1 Claim, 1 Drawing Fig.

US. Cl 211/86 Int. Cl A47i' 5/00 Field of Search 21 1/86 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,935.208 5/1960 Sinclair 2| 1/86 3.476.256 11/1969 Anderson 211/86 Primary Examiner-Nile Cv Byers, .lrl Alwrneylrving Siedman ABSTRACT: An anesthesia screen is formed of an adjustable frame on which a sheet is suspended to separate a patient on an operating table from an anesthesiologist with his equipment. The frame is a crossbar with spaced. downward extending legs in the shape of an inverted U, the lower portion of each leg being adjustably secured to one side of the operating table. From an upper portion of each leg a telescoping arm is laterally extendible. each arm being adapted to support a sheet.

PAIENTEDN 30 I97! 3,623,616

INVENTOR. HARVEY J. ENGELSHER ANESTIIESIA SCREEN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has become a common practice in operating room procedure to partially separate the activities of the anesthesiologist and his equipment from a patient on the operating table and from the surgeon and his assistants. The anesthesiologist who is constantly monitoring blood pressure, breathing rate, pulse count, and other life signs, needs partial isolation so that noise, movement, and apparatus about the operating table will not be distracting and will not interfere with his concentration. The patients point-of-view is also a factor; should the patient be awake during surgery because of only local anesthetics or should he awake unexpectedly, it is preferable that he be prevented from viewing both the anesthiologists activities and the operating field which might only add to his anxiety.

For the purpose of blocking the patients view, screening has often been used by attaching one end of a sheet from a raised support attached to the operating table and attaching the other end to a second separate raised structure that stands on the fioor spaced some distance from the operating table. A variety of conveniently available vertically standing apparatus have been used for the second elevated support such as infusion stands and I.V. poles.

The above type of screening system, for the many years of its use, has had an inherent shortcoming that greatly reduces its effectiveness and reliability. After all the operating room equipment has been set up in preparation for a surgical procedure or more seriously, after the surgery has begun, it is sometimes necessary to readjust the position of the operating table by rotation, tilting or bending about various axes, or by varying the elevation. With each of these changes in operating table position, the sheet-support attached and carried by the table is also moved which then necessitates a corresponding repositioning of the separate floor stand supporting the remote end of the sheet. 1

Moving and readjusting different components of a screen system is not only an inconvenient nuisance, it can be time consuming when time is critical, and finally it introduces the danger of knocking over or otherwise upsetting equipment in the path of the sheet and remote support. It also requires the additional equipment, which rarely is optimal size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an entirely new structure that is simple and efficient. The new anesthesia screen apparatus is connectable to an operating table or may be permanently secured thereto, and it supports a flexible sheet in a generally vertical plane. The apparatus in upright position comprises a frame formed of a transverse crossbar and two downwardly extending legs defining an inverted U. Each leg has its upper part joined to one end of the bar and its lower end connectable to the table. At least one connector means is secured to the frame near the upper end of a leg, and at least one telescoping arm is attached to the frame by having the arm's first end joined to the connector means and the arms remote end extending laterally from the table and frame. It is preferable that the apparatus include one arm on each side for convenience, and also that the whole frame be adjustable vertically.

Since the above structure is a single assembly attached to an operating table, there is no need to use equipment standing on the floor to support remote ends of sheets. Accordingly when the table is moved, the sheet, supported by the attached frame, is moved without contact or interference with any other structure.

Another very useful feature of the new invention is that the crossbar serves as a barrier between the patients head and the surgeon and his assistants when surgery is on middle or lower body. The barrier prevents persons from accidentally moving too close to the patients head and/or interfering with the anesthiologists function.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred anesthesia screen apparatus as shown, is a single tubular frame 1 comprising a crossbar 2, two downwardly extending legs 3, and telescoping arms 4. The lower part of each leg is connectable to operating table 5 by adjustable means 6 that permits the elevation of the frame to be varied. Near the upper part of each leg 3 is a connector 7 made of a T-shaped tube fitting having a stem 8 and crosspiece 9. Leg 3 extends through crosspiece 9, and the base end of each arm 4 is threadedly joined to the stem 8. Flat 10 on the leg is present to aid in turning the arm for its threaded engagement.

Each arm 4 is formed of three telescoping parts ll, 12, and 13, with a grasping means, knob I4, at the terminal end of part I3 for pulling the arm to its full extension. Adjacent the knob is an aperture 15 into which finger parts of a clamp are inserted whereby a portion of a sheet is secured between the clamp and the arm. Each arm is rotatable about its corresponding leg or may be tightened to a fixed position.

When a sheet is attached to an extended arm of this frame, varying from I to 6 feet, the anesthesiologist's equipment 16 adjacent the operating table will be effectively blocked from the patients view. Additionally, a portion of the sheet suspended from the bar 2 will block the patients view of the field of the operation on himself. Generally an operating table has tubular fixtures on its side edges through which the lower legs of the new apparatus can be inserted. Alternatively, the apparatus may include its own attachment means for engaging the table edges.

What is claimed:

1. An anesthesia screen apparatus for connection to an operating table and for supporting a flexible sheet in a generally vertical plane, the apparatus in upright position comprising:

a. an inverted U-shaped frame including a crossbar and two downwardly extending legs;

b. said crossbar extending transverse to the longitudinal extent of the table and having a length substantially the same as the table width;

c. each leg having its upper end joined to one end of the crossbar;

d. and means on the table for adjustably connecting the lower portion of each leg to a side portion thereof to vary the elevation of the frame relative to the table;

e. connector means mounted on each leg of the frame for rotation in a horizontal plane and located adjacent the juncture of each leg with the crossbar;

said connector means comprising a T-shaped tubular member including a tubular crosspiece portion for passing a leg portion of the frame therethrough and a tubular stem portion extending from the crosspiece portion; g. a pair of telescoping arms rotatably mounted on the frame and extending in opposite directions;

. each of said arms having an inner end received in the tubular stern portion of the connector means and an outer end extending laterally beyond the side edges of the table;

. and clamp means for engaging the sheet, said clamp means including mounting means;

j. the outer end portions of said arms including openings therein for receiving said mounting means for suspending the sheet from said arms. 

1. An anesthesia screen apparatus for connection to an operating table and for supporting a flexible sheet in a generally vertical plane, the apparatus in upright position comprising: a. an inverted U-shaped frame including a crossbar and two downwardly extending legs; b. said crossbar extending transverse to the longitudinal extent of the table and having a length substantially the same as the table width; c. each leg having its upper end joined to one end of the crossbar; d. and means on the table for adjustably connecting the lower portion of each leg to a side portion thereof to vary the elevation of the frame relative to the table; e. connector means mounted on each leg of the frame for rotation in a horizontal plane and located adjacent the juncture of each leg with the crossbar; f. said connector means comprising a T-shaped tubular member including a tubular crosspiece portion for passing a leg portion of the frame therethrough and a tubular stem portion extending from the crosspiece portion; g. a pair of telescoping arms rotatably mounted on the frame and extending in opposite directions; h. each of said arms having an inner end received in the tubular stem portion of the connector means and an outer end extending lateRally beyond the side edges of the table; i. and clamp means for engaging the sheet, said clamp means including mounting means; j. the outer end portions of said arms including openings therein for receiving said mounting means for suspending the sheet from said arms. 